Lady Alanna
by asianlioness
Summary: Sorry it took soo long!! I meant to post it up before jan..but then one day led to another...anyways never fear! the "familiar voice" shall be revealed in this chapter! Also this is longer than usual...so you have been warned! Pretty long! Review!
1. Part 1

"Ouch! Damn it, what is the point of this…this folly? Why do I need to do embroidery? Why, Maude, why?" cried Alanna of Trebond as she sucked her bleeding thumb  
" Alanna! Put your thumb out of your mouth! You shall never do that in front of your suitors, you understand? Never!" scolded Maude, her caretaker, pushing Alanna's thumb away from her mouth.   
"Alright, alright, no need to get mad. But Maude, I simply do not see the point of this! Why do I need to learn sewing? It certainly won't help me when I'm in battles, fighting. I mean, I can't exactly kill people with a thread and needle can I?" complained Alanna.   
"Alanna, how many times have I--"  
Suddenly a Daughter of the Goddess, knocked on the door. " Pardon me, Lady Alanna but the Head Daughter of She Who Rules Us All wishes to see you. If you shall come with me", she gestured towards the door. Alanna followed the Daughter of the Goddess, healing her thumb with her Gift. Why did the Head Daughter of the Goddess wish to see her? Had she done something wrong?  
Deeply involved in her thoughts, she didn't know that they had arrived in the Head Daughter rooms until she heard the Head Daughter's voice. "Sit down, Alanna." She obeyed. "Alanna", sighed the Head Daughter," The Grand Ball is being held at the palace in Corus. It is time for you to meet suitors who shall marry you." Alanna snapped out of her thoughts immediately. "But, Head Daughter, I am too young", she protested putting on a sad face.  
But the Head Daughter was not easily tricked "No, Alanna those tricks will not work on me. You are a young woman now. It is time, Alanna dear child. Your future awaits you." Although, the Head Daughter did not tell her this, she had always been fond of this redheaded girl with her violet eyes. She had bought her laughter over the past 6 years at the convent.  
"But Head Daughter," pleaded Alanna, " I-I- haven't acquired the skills that a lady---" The Head Daughter interrupted her. "No, I cannot let you stay any longer. I am sorry child, but your time has come. I have already sent horses to take you and Maude to Corus. The Grand Ball shall be held in a week's time. Please Alanna, you shall never achieve your dreams as a warrior maiden if you remain here. Now go." The Head daughter dismissed her with a wave of her hand.   
Alanna trudged back to her rooms. Maude had packed their bags, while Alanna had been gone.   
"Now, Alanna look on the bright side of things. At least you will get to see your brother Thom! And then you can ask him about weapons and archery and all those other fighting things you are so interested in. Which you will not demonstrate at the Grand Ball", added Maude sternly.  
" Alright, alright. I guess it will be wonderful to see Thom again." Alanna suddenly grinned, her violet eyes dancing wickedly " And I can tease him when I ducked his head in the fish pond when we were little! You know what, Maude? This isn't looking so bad after all!"  
  
  
Squire Thom of Trebond was lying on his bed, reading a book when his friends came by his room. "Hey Thom, do you want to go to the Dancing Dove with us?" asked the man with curly black hair and dark eyes. "No thanks Raoul, I want to finish this book, before I have to go and serve at the Grand Ball" replied Thom. "The Grand Ball," Raoul of Golden Lake and Malorie's Peak groaned. "Mithros, somebody tell me why we have these? I'd rather be in Scanran than go to the Grand Ball!"   
Gareth of Naxen, the Younger, answered him. " So we can go and see if there are any young beautiful maidens to court. I want to actually speak to one of them before all of them notice Jon and flock to him like geese. That's one of the disadvantages of having a Prince as your cousin. They notice him, instead of you."   
Jonathon of Conté protested " It's not my fault that they all come to me. You should thank me, Gary." "Thank you!?" Gary said in disbelief.  
"Yes" replied his cousin. " Sure some of them are beautiful, but sometimes they talk about the most boring things in the world. They flirt with you and when you say something, they giggle annoyingly. And that's not the worst part of all. It's when you have to dance with them."   
"But think of all those beautiful, vulnerable women surrounding you!" exclaimed Gary "Shouldn't you be use to it, Jon?" asked Thom curiously.  
" Yeah he's got a point," agreed Raoul " After all you are Prince Jonathon of Conté, the MOST handsomest man at the Tortallan Court."  
"Arggh, don't remind me" said the prince in disgust. " I want a break from all of this. For once I would like to meet a Lady who is interested in weapons and wars, instead of one talking about poems, marveling at me because I'm the Prince. I guess there will never be such a lady", he sighed.  
"Don't worry, Jon. Surely you can find a lady that will ---" Thom stopped in mid-sentence.   
"What's wrong?" asked a concerned Raoul.  
"I just remembered, my sister's the same age as me."   
"So what? You're both 16. Wow." said Gary bitterly.  
"You don't understand," whispered Thom " my sister's 16. It means that it's time for her to come to the court. She'll probably be arriving here in a few days' time. I'll be able to see her!" he said excitedly. "My sister's coming! I'll be able to see her! After 6 years!" Gary, Jonathon and Raoul exchanged glances. They had never seen Thom this excited about anything, except for sorcery lessons.   
Thom wasn't taking notice. He told them, "Wait till you meet her. I guarantee that you'll be surprised. Just you wait!"   
  
  
A few days later after travelling in and out of towns, Alanna and Maude arrived at the palace in the capital of Tortall. They were escorted to their rooms and then left alone. "Maude, I'm going to have a look around is that alright? Maude?" Alanna turned to face her, only to discover that she was already snoring gently. Smiling Alanna left her caretaker in her room and closed the door quietly behind her. She decided to wander around the palace, to see if she could have a reunion with her twin brother Thom. As she let her feet carry her around; her head was filled with questions. Would Thom be the Thom she knew from her child hood days from Trebond? Would he be more arrogant? Would he be awkward to talk to? She was so busy thinking, that she did not realised she had bumped into someone, until she felt herself being steadied.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I did not mean to." She pulled away and curtsied, with her face down as she had been taught at the convent, while her face was blushing furiously. A deep voice answered her.  
" It's alright. Don't worry about it." Alanna turned to face her speaker. He was half a head taller than she was, with black coal hair and brilliant blue sapphire eyes. His nose was straight and proud and laughter was in his eyes.   
He's very handsome, thought Alanna. I wonder who this young man is.  
"I haven't seen you before. Where might you be from?" he asked.   
"Trebond, sir. My caretaker and I just arrived today." She replied, looking anywhere but him. Not even a full day in Corus and she had already embarrassed herself!   
"Lady…?" She supplied her name. " Lady Alanna, sir". Then feeling a bit more comfortable she asked, "May I be so bold to ask your name sir?" Her speaker, it seemed was a bit amused by her question and he seemed to know something that she didn't, but she didn't care. " It's Jonathon." She frowned. It sounded familiar. Very familiar. Where had she heard it?   
Noticing that he was staring at her intently, she decided that it was time to make her escape. " I thank you for your kind manner sir and I am sorry about the accident." She curtsied and then walked quickly past him.   
"Wait" he called out" do you know your way around here?" She didn't, but she wasn't so sure if she should trust this kind stranger. Come on, said her daring self, how often do you get to spend the day with a glorious guy, hmm? You could ask him about Thom. He might know him.   
"Well, no sir" she replied slowly. Jonathon seemed pleased by her answer and offered to show her around the palace, lending his arm. He showed her stables, the Royal Menagerie, the Royal Forest and the practice courts.  
Throughout the day, she told him about herself, about her family, why she was here and stories at the convent, some of them making him laugh hysterically. She discovered however, that Jonathon did not reveal much about himself. Except that he had the Gift and he was a knight at the palace, something that she was VERY interested in, he remained quiet. The embarrassment had disappeared and she was comfortable enough to made jokes, some at which he found amusing. He asked her opinion on things and she spoke her mind out about them, something that he liked about her, it seemed. He was fascinated about her knowledge about weapons and they had long discussions about wars and battles in the past. As the hours went by, she forgot all her lessons to court young men and instead enjoyed just having a friend.   
Finally the sunset began to show and Alanna knew it was time to go back to her rooms. "Well, I guess I better go back otherwise Maude will have a fit" she said reluctantly.   
"Oh, do you have to go? We were having such a wonderful time." He glanced at her and sighed " yeah, I suppose you better. I wouldn't want you getting into trouble. Will I see you again?" he asked.   
"Unfortunately you will", she said with a grin, when he laughed " I'll be scouting around tomorrow trying to find Thom and seeing if I can spot anybody practicing in the practice courts. Also I'll be at the Grand Ball" she groaned. " Goddess, help me. Will you be there?" she asked him, hopefully.  
"Yes I will be. If you see me, please come and talk to me. Otherwise if you don't, then I shall be most displeased. Well goodnight Lady Alanna", he said with a smile, a smile that melted her heart. "It has been a pleasure talking to you and I hope to see you soon" With this, he took her hand and kissed it gently, then walked away.   
Wow, I never had a more wonderful time, she thought while watching him walk away, I certainly hope to see HIM soon.  



	2. Part 2

A/N: I would just like to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all the people who reviewed my first fanfic (Lady Alanna – Part 1)

A/N: I would just like to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all the people who reviewed my first fanfic (Lady Alanna – Part 1)!! I was sooo happy when I discovered that I had nearly 20 review so thank you thank you thank you! I'm not sure if this chapter will be as successful as the first one, but plz review again! I'll try to post the future chapters sooner! Once again, THANX 4 UR REVIEWS!

** **

The next day, Alanna went wandering around the palace dressed in breeches and a shirt, her shoulder-length hair tied back into a ponytail. Although no body had seen her wear this outfit at the convent, she always wore it while practicing combat and swordplay, which was taught to her by a few of her friends in the convent.

She walked into the practice courts, speculating all the action that was going on. A few pages were out and all of them stared in shock, at the petite figure with violet eyes, dressed in practice clothes. 

One of them came over, a boy with sandy blond hair and cold gray eyes. He took a look at her and sneered, " Are you trying to pass as one of us? Is this a joke? Girls can't fight at all! Go back to where you came from!" 

Alanna looked at him calmly, although her heart was beating nervously, and said " Is this how you treat a lady?" 

He sneered once more and replied " You ain't a Lady! You look more like a pig!" and laughed. 

Alanna was trying to get her temper under control but couldn't resist making a remark. "Well, you aren't much different yourself. You look more like a cow than a page with those legs and your big head."

The boy yelled out angrily and made a grab for her hair, but Alanna had been expecting this. Quickly, she bent his arm and twisted it around his back, while she kicked his knees, causing him to fall to the ground. The boy struggled, trying to get back up but Alanna put her whole weight on his body. 

"Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you're sorry, nod your head. If you're not then nobody will recognise you by the time I'm finished with you. Okay? Which will you choose?" The boy nodded furiously, and she let him go. She backed away from him and noticed that she had a crowd of pages and squires, staring at her in amazement. 

" Where did you learn to fight like that?" asked a boy, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. 

" That's for me to know and you to find out" she said mysteriously and strolled away. When she was half way to her rooms, she heard someone drawl " Well, Alanna dear sister, I can see you haven't lost your fighting edge." 

Whirling around she came face to face with her brother who had the same coppery hair and violet eyes as her. "Thom!" she shrieked and embraced him. He returned the hug and then held her at an arm's length, admiring her. 

" Hmm, I thought they taught ladies at convents how to attract young men, not fight with them" Alanna made a face and released her brother, who was laughing. 

" I can't believe that you fought Ralon of Malven," he said as they began walking down the path leading into the Royal Forest. 

" Well, " she said, mock indignant " he wasn't treating me like a Lady. And besides I needed to see if I could defend myself."

"Ah, I see. So tell me about your life at the convent" She told him all the experiences she had had, how she had made many enemies and a few friends, funny stories, Maude and how she was achieving her dream by practicing swordplay and doing combat work. When she ran out of things to tell him, she asked him about his life at the palace, and asked endless questions about his training. He told him about the friends he made at the palace and about the sorcery lessons he was having. He was in the middle of telling her about the Tusaine Battle by the River Drell when he was greeted by one of friends.

"Hey, is it just me or am I seeing double Thom?" said Thom's friend, while Alanna giggled.

"Raoul, this is my sister Alanna I told you about yesterday. Alanna this is one of my best friends: Raoul of Golden Lake and Malorie's Peak. He's also my knight-master" He gestured to the powerfully built man, who had black curly hair and dark eyes. 

She started to curtsy to him and then remembered she wasn't wearing a dress, so she just smiled and nodded.

"Well, I finally get to meet the famous Lady Alanna of Trebond," said Raoul " Thom's been very excited about you coming here."

"So am I" replied Alanna wickedly " I haven't seen Thom since that time I ducked his head in the fish pond."

Raoul laughed heartily. 

" Umm…yeah….well anyway, where's Jon and Gary, Raoul?" Thom wanted to avoid Alanna from telling any more embarrassing child hood memories.

" Well Gary went out the door as soon as he heard that some new noblewomen had arrived at court and Jon's there as well cause his mother ordered him to be. His mother said that it was good for Jon to meet new people" grumbled Raoul. "Every body's interested in the Grand Ball. Since I'm a knight, I have to attend as well. It didn't say that when you became a knight, you had to go to these kind of things!"

"Social events aren't exactly Raoul's kind of thing" explained Thom to Alanna. " He's more of a fighting-in-battles-and-wars kind of guy."

" Really? We already have something in common in then. Social events aren't exactly my kind of things. I would prefer to do some combat work than dance " said Alanna

" What? Are you joking?" Raoul was instantly shocked.

"Nope, she's not joking. She's dead serious" confirmed Thom.

" But I thought most ladies would be interested in choosing dresses and doing their hair and flirting and— "

"Well, 'I'm not most ladies'" interrupted Alanna. _Did all people think that noblewomen were interested in those kinds of things? she pondered. " I was wondering could you teach me any techniques on how to improve at archery?"_

An hour later, after finally convincing Raoul that Alanna was serious about weapon training, they were in the outdoors practice courts facing a target.

" I'm not sure. Are you sure you can lift that bow up? I mean I've never seen –" Alanna fitted the arrow onto the bow with ease, lifted it, pulled the string back to her ear and let the arrow flow straight into the bull's eye.

Raoul stared at her flabbergasted while Thom looked at him smugly.

"Now do you believe her?" asked Thom

"Um---" hesitated Raoul. _Still don't believe me hmm? Fine then, I'll prove it to you again thought Alanna. Before anybody could say a word, she reloaded her bow 3 times, each arrow striking dead center in the bull's eye._

She turned to face Raoul. To her surprise, his flabbergasted expression was now replaced by one of respect. They stared at each other until Thom broke the silence. 

"People, as much as I would like to stay here and stare all day until the cows come home," he said dryly " I think it's time we headed back towards our rooms. I don't think that Maude would be pleased you've been out all day Alanna, and Raoul I think we better head back as well. "

"So now that you've seen what I can do, perhaps you can give me lessons?" asked Alanna. " I promise that I won't giggle at you or expect you to recite poems to me. Deal?" Grinning, she held out her hand.

"Deal!" Raoul shook her hand enthusiastically, grinning in return. " So when shall we start?"

Along the way back to the palace, the trio came up with a suitable time for Alanna to undergo training in one of the less-used practice courts. Finished discussing that, they talked. By the time they arrived at the palace, Alanna felt that she had known Raoul as long as she had known Thom.

"Well I guess this is where we say goodbye. I'll see you two tonight. If I don't find either of you in your rooms, you'll regret that you knew me at all!" Laughing, both men assured her that they would be and the three of them parted.

She entered her room quietly, praying that her fussy caretaker wasn't there, but luck didn't seem to be on her side. "Alanna!" scolded Maude " Where have you been? Why didn't you tell me? Why are you wearing those clothes? Explain!" Alanna sighed wearily, as she began to change into one of her dresses. It was going to take a long time for Maude to calm down.

Just when Maude finished giving her lecture on how noblewomen should act and was about to start a new one, Raoul came by her door. Maude abruptly stopped talking. Raoul who was feeling a bit uneasy by Maude's reaction hesitated what he was going to say. Alanna hastily made introductions and then steered Raoul out of her room, saying over shoulder " I'll be back in a little while, Maude." She shut the door behind her and then turned to Raoul. " Thank Goddess, you came by!" she exclaimed, "You're my hero! I thought I'd never be able to get away from Maude's speeches!" Raoul now comfortable laughed. 

" Well, Thom said what Maude was like, so I thought I better rescue you. That's one of the reasons why I came by." 

"Oh, what's the other one then?" asked Alanna.

"Well, I was wondering if you could help me with a problem" he hesitated before going on, " As you might know already, the Grand Ball is tomorrow night." Alanna rolled her eyes " and I am hopeless at making small talk with other people. So could you be my companion? Wait, what I meant was, could you just accompany me? Make sure I don't turn into a block of wood or embarrass myself? Please? I'd rather be outside doing archery, but the prince has ordered me to go and I can't refuse, so could you?" he added, pleading filled his dark eyes. Alanna thought it over_. Well I guess it would be mean of me to NOT help him. Besides, he is one of Thom's best friends and I have to go as well, so it might as well be someone that I know. Also, I doubt that Jonathon would remember me at all. He's probably got million of beautiful women swarming around him. He probably forgot me already. " Sure, why not? I need someone to go with, since I have to be there as well." She said cheerfully, although she was a bit sadden that by her thoughts._

"Really? You will be? Thank you!" said Raoul, relieved. " I thought I might have to lie to Jon and say that I was sick, but that wouldn't be such a great plan, because he probably would send a healer to me and then when the healer would find nothing wrong with me, I might have to explain my reasons. He wouldn't be pleased."

"Hmm, your friend Jon seems to have a lot of power over you" remarked Alanna. "Well, he is the Prince. Jon is Prince Jonathon of the Tortall Kingdom." Raoul told her. Suddenly it was hard for Alanna to breathe. " Would Prince Jonathon have black hair and blue eyes?" she asked urgently. 

"Why, yes " said Raoul, surprised. "How did you know? Wait, that was a stupid question. _All women know what Jon looks like. I mean, they say he's the most handsomest man at court, plus he is a knight and the prince which makes all us other knights look shameful" he joked. "Alanna, what's the matter?" he asked, noticing her pink face. _

"Nothing, nothing at all." She assured him. "So tell me how being a knight is." As Raoul proceeded to do so, Alanna thought _No wonder he was so mysterious yesterday! He's the Prince! Oh well, I hope that I don't bump into him again! He probably thought I was a dolt! Shaking her head, she returned to listening to Raoul. They talked until it was sunset and parted, Alanna reminding him that she would be in his chamber to start her training. She stepped inside her room, expecting Maude to fire questions at her, but instead Maude was watching her. _

"Maude are you feeling alright?" she inquired worriedly. "Do you need to see a healer?" "No, no. I was just thinking about something, that's all " said Maude and then said, "Where are you going tonight?" 

Alanna began to strip off her dress and then slipped into the bathtub. " Nowhere really" she answered as she began cleaning herself. 

"Ah, I see then. Well, after you've finished your supper then you can do whatever you please." Alanna stopped cleaning herself and just stared at Maude, her mouth in a perfect 'o'. Maude had_ never let her do whatever she pleased! She had to beg Maude for 3 weeks before she let her train with the maids at the convent! She thought about protesting, then immediately stopped herself. She might not have another chance! And she did want some time alone without having to care that Maude would give her the guilt trip! Sighing contently, she rinsed herself and then began to dress. Maude had disappeared while Alanna finished bathing, so Alanna could do whatever she wanted. After supper, she would visit Thom and then take a walk into the Royal Forest by herself. She decided to gather her hair in half a ponytail and to add a few touches of make-up to surprise Thom. __I really have changed she thought__ there was time when I absolutely refused to put face-paint on! _


	3. Part 3

Finishing her supper, she took a knife, incase of any unpleasant surprises and a cloak

Finishing her supper, she took a knife, incase of any unpleasant surprises and a cloak. Then she went to surprise Thom. Instead though, she found a note: 

****

Dearest Alanna,

By now, you've probably discovered that I'm not present at the moment. The reason is that tonight I have to serve at a banquet, one of the many duties a squire has to perform. Sir/ Lord Raoul couldn't think of an excuse to not come, so he had to come as well. If you've lost your mind (don't scowl) {Alanna was scowling}** and decided that you might attend this banquet, you shall find Raoul and me in the Banquet Hall, which is near the page's/ squire's mess hall. If you get lost, then ask one of the palace servants instead of trying to find your way out. Remember last time when you tried that at home? You ended up in the stables!**

Love, Thom

Still scowling a bit, she walked down the path, which led into the Royal Forest. Strolling slowly, she inhaled the beautiful scents of the trees and the flowers. Night animal calls and sounds filled the night and she was just simply content to sit on the bench and listen to them. The moonlight shone on her face and she closed her eyes. 

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" said a familiar voice nearby. Whirling around, she saw Jonathon emerge, his sapphire eyes shining in the darkness.

"Yes, it is" she agreed. She turned her back on him and faced the moonlight once again. She wasn't feeling very friendly towards him.

" What are you doing out here?" he asked as he sat down next to her on the bench. He brushed against her lightly, which spent shivers up her spine. 

__

What is wrong with me? She thought. She didn't say anything, until she trusted her voice. "Nothing much. I decided to take a walk and relax, instead of going to the banquet. What about you?" 

"I needed some fresh air. Do you know how hot it is to be inside a room with hundreds of people? Besides I saw you walking into the Royal Forest and I thought that I might join you. The idea of making some pointless small talk with someone I did not know, who was wearing rings on every finger, did not appeal to me."

"That's funny, I thought being the Prince, you would have gotten use to these kinds of things" she mused out aloud.

"Oh, I see you've found out about that," he said sheepishly. "I knew there was something I forgot to tell you."

"You guessed right. And if you shall excuse me, your royal Majesty I have to get going. Goodnight" she stood up stiffly and began to walk away.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something? He caught her arm "As I recall, we were having a wonderful time yesterday and now you act as if you can't bear to be around me!" 

Alanna was silent, fuming. Jonathon pulled her down next to him. 

"I'm sorry that I didn't mention the fact that I'm a prince, but you have to understand. All my life, I've been expected to act dignified, intelligent, composed, a mask I have to wear when the people of Tortall see me. I only get to show the real me, when I'm with Thom, Raoul or Gary, which isn't often. When I met you yesterday, I thought that you were a gift from the Gods. Finally, a woman who knew how to joke, how to use a bow, knew what a lance was, someone that made me feel comfortable. You treated me as a friend, not as a suitor or the Prince or a god. You didn't expect me to ask you to dance, or to impress you, or to flirt along with you. For once I could talk to a woman without her knowing who I was, before I knew them. " He turned his head away from her.

Alanna's anger disappeared. She was touched by his speech. She patted his shoulder and softly said, " I'm sorry. I had no idea it was this hard for you. I was just angry that you didn't tell me, that's all. I didn't know that you felt this kind of pressure being the Prince." 

"That's not all. Because I'm the Prince, I won't be able to travel places that I've fantasied about going." He said bitterly.

They sat in silence.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked him after a moment's time.

"I want to go to the Roof of the World and bring back the Dominion Jewel, for the glory of Tortall. But I can't since I'm the heir to the throne." He replied sadly, looking at the moon.

"I know how you feel. It's quite the same as being a Lady." Jonathon glanced at her, surprised. 

"Everybody expects ladies to be beautiful, defined, dignified, and lovely. They're suppose to marvel over knights, who have come home from defending the country, attract men by giggling, flirting or by using a handkerchief. They're suppose to know how to do embroidery, how low they should curtsy to a duke or a lord, how they're suppose to greet people, how to walk, how to dance. I wasn't interested in those kinds of things. I was more fascinated how to ride a horse than to do embroidery. The girls at the convent thought I was crazy. Why would anybody want to ride on a dirty animal simply for joy? They smirked at me, laughed at me and made fun of me. But I didn't let that stop me from achieving my dream."

"Do you have any ambitions?" he asked curiously

She watched the stars above in the sky. "I remembered when I was 10 years old or so, I wanted to become a warrior maiden. I had this plan arranged. I would swap places with Thom, so that I would come to the palace while he would go to the convent (A/N: forgotten what's it's called). But Thom backed out of the plan. Still though, I pursed it. Every morning there, the maids, who were my friends as well, would teach me combat they knew of or I would look in books and practice in my room. Sometimes I pretended to be sick so that they would have to send me into the city to see a healer. Sure, there were healers at the convent, but I often bribed them to make up an excuse not to see me. Once I was out, I changed clothes to a commoner and found people who were willing to teach me archery or swordplay. The Daughters at the convent were often suspicious about my illnesses, but if they came and looked at me, I would use my Gift, to make my face to look like I was sick. One time, one of the girls said that I was lying, so that I would not have to attend etiquette lessons. Luckily the Daughters didn't believe her. Still though, I was a bit angry with her, so that night, I put a frog in her bed. You could hear her screaming down the hallway!" 

Jonathon laughed so hard that tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. 

Once he regained self-control Alanna continued, this time her serious eyes on him "What I'm trying to say Jon, is whatever happens you can still achieve your dreams. If you strive to do it, then you will. People you love will always be there to help you no matter what. Anyway, I think we should return to the palace. We've been out here quite a long time and if we don't go, they might send a search party. Race you back to the palace!" she called over her shoulder as she picked up her skirts and ran down the path.

"Not fair!" he yelled but he caught up to her soon enough. When he did, he reached out and tickled her, which caused her to laugh, which caused her to stumble. She braced herself for the fall, but it never came. Instead a pair of strong arms caught her. 

(A/N: okay I know that's a lame excuse to make her fall, but I had writer's block!)

"Are you alright?" Jonathon asked, his blue-sapphire eyes worried. The closeness of his handsome face had a devastating effect on Alanna's mind. She blinked twice before answering him. "Um, yeah I think I'm." Jonathon slowly released her, afraid that if he let her go immediately she would collapse. He bowed and nervously apologized.

"I'm extremely sorry my lady, I didn't mean to trip you or make you fall on purpose. I-" Alanna just laughed and clamped her hand over his mouth. "I'm all right silly, don't worry about it. What's this 'my lady' business? If you keep on apologizing like this, then I'll be forced to walk like this all the way to the palace. Understand? No more apologizing. Otherwise custom indicates that I have to curtsy and right now I really can't be bothered to. Remember, no more apologizing." She took her hand away. "Really Jon did you think I would detest you just because you made me stumble a bit? You're quick to judge!" she teased, her eyes kind. "What are you doing tomorrow?" she changed the subject, hoping that Jon wouldn't try to make some sort of apology again. 

"Well, Mother says that I have to get my Grand Ball clothes fitted, but that's in the afternoon so before then I really have nothing to do. Clothes fittings, that's going to be jolly good fun" he said gloomily. 

"You're not the only one to suffer. I have to go to the seamstress in 3 days to have my gown made. Sometimes I think that commoners are luckier than we are. They don't have fussy caretakers lecturing them every single day and they don't have to worry about their social rank. They can do whatever they like and people will still be their friends. Life as a noble isn't easy" she sighed. "Sometimes I wish I –" 

"Jonathon! There you are!" exclaimed a voice. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Somehow I find that hard to believe, Gary. You're usually inside courting all the women you meet."

"Exactly why I came out to tell you that…." Gary's voice faded away as he noticed Alanna's presence for the first time. "Pardon me, fair maiden--"

"Where? I don't see one," said Alanna, pretending to look around them. "If you're are suggesting that I am one, then you must be mistaken." Gary grinned.

"Alanna this is Gareth of Naxen, the Younger, who is also my cousin. Gary this is Alanna, formally known as Lady Alanna of Trebond." 

"It was a pleasure meeting you Lady Alanna," Alanna rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry, but could I speak to Jon in private for a few minutes?"

"It's alright. I should be getting back to my chambers anyway. It's getting quite late.

Jonathon looked crestfallen. "I'm sure it won't—"

"No, it's alright. Besides I'm tired and I need my beauty sleep otherwise I'll look like a hag in the morning. And don't think you'll get rid of me that easily," both men laughed "I'll see you some other time. Goodnight Jon, Gary." With this, she smiled at them and retreated back into the palace.

"Well, Thom's right about one thing," said Gary, thoughtfully "She's so different from the other ladies. What a surprise!"

Jonathon watching Alanna disappear into the darkness of the night softly replied, " A wonderful surprise."

A/N: I'm thinking about leaving it here. If I get past 40 reviews, I'll post another chapter up soon. If not then, I'll leave it here. So R & R please!


	4. Part 4

A/N: Wow, was I stunned when I saw I had 48 reviews ****

A/N: Wow, was I stunned when I saw I had 48 reviews! Thanks for your reviews ppls! Anyways this is the last chapter I'll do for now. *People throw tomatoes* FOR NOW I SAID! I've got exams coming up and I really need to study for them. You'll have to wait at least 5 weeks for the next chapter….Solliez ppls! Hope you enjoy!

Alanna's training started the very next day. Thom had left as soon as she arrived, the reason being "I don't want to mess your fun." She demonstrated in front of Raoul, so that he could see what were her weaknesses and strengths and what she knew. She thought that she was quite well prepared, until Raoul threw her over his hip and she landed on her back. 

"Alanna, are you all right? Maybe this wasn't such --"

"I'm fine, Raoul. I'm just a bit… stunned, that's all" panted Alanna.

Raoul told her, "We'll end the session. You've done well today. If you hadn't gone to the convent, you could've been a lady knight Do you need help getting back to your room?"

"I'll manage. So same time tomorrow?" asked Alanna, still a bit breathless.

"Yes, though I think you might've lost your mind when you decided to train with me." He held open his door. 

She laughed as she walked down the hallway. "Maybe you're right, Raoul." 

Returning to her rooms after having breakfast she overheard a conversation between two palace servants. "—hear today? The Prince didn't go to his rooms last night! He went into the Royal Forest instead!"

"Do you know why?" the second palace servant asked eagerly.

"Nope, no body knows for sure but you should've seen Lady Delia, when he said he wasn't feeling too feel. Her face was as sour as a lemon!" The first servant that spoke, laughed.

"You should've seen all the other ladies! You could see on their faces that they wanted to spend the rest of the night with him! But for some reason they didn't" pondered out loud the second servant.

"Well, I don't think that they would have a chance with the Prince," remarked the first servant, "Not with Lady Delia here anyway. She still is the prettiest woman at court!"

"And also the meanest," added the second servant "Remember last year when she "accidentally" tripped Lady Charity of Tirragen? Poor woman, she ended up having a sprained ankle!"

Alanna entered her room, having heard more than she wanted to. So Jonathon had pretended to be sick. But why? Why did he come into the forest and talk with her? Was it because he felt comfortable around her? Did he like her as a friend? Or something more? Or did he pretend to be sick because he saw her walking into the Royal Forest alone? Did he do it because he felt sorry for her? Frustrated, she pushed her thoughts aside and decided to take another stroll around the Royal Palace. She was just about to go out of her rooms when Maude suddenly appeared in the doorway. One look at her face was all Alanna needed to retreat back into the room. 

"Alanna ", asked Maude sweetly, her tone dangerous, "Where were you this morning?" "Oh –I-I-I went to the er-er-er….I went to breakfast!" said Alanna triumphantly. 

" What I meant was BEFORE breakfast, where were you?" 

"Oh, before breakfast." She gave a nervous laugh. "I was um-um…." Suddenly Raoul appeared at the door, flustered. "Alanna, come quick!"

"What? Why?" asked Alanna, worried.

"I'm not too sure myself. But Thom told me to come get you!"

"Alanna –" began Maude

"Not now Maude, you heard Raoul! I'll be back later!" and with that Alanna and Raoul were gone from the room.

"Hmph, every time I try to lecture her, that Raoul keeps appearing. Why does--" a smile slowly appeared on Maude's face. "Ah, I see why. Alanna's all grown up now. Lady Alanna of GoldenLake and Malorie's Peak. I like the sound of that."

Alanna followed Raoul into Thom's room, where Thom was muttering to himself. He stopped when he saw his twin. "Alanna I need your help desperately!"

"You know I'll always help you. What's the big emergency, Thom?"

"Today there's a big archery competition and everybody's going to be there!"

"So?" she said puzzled.

"You know how I am at these kind of things!"

"But surely you've better now? All that physical training you've been doing, you must have improved! "

"Well yes, I have improved, but not much. In swordplay, I can barely defend myself, in combat I always break at least one bone, my horse doesn't like me –"

"Alright, I understand. But I don't see how I can help you in this archery competition. What is the big deal about it? By the sound of it, no body will expect you to do well."

"But the thing is, I need to, no, _must _do well today!" he said with frustration.

"Why?"

"I made a bet with Jeris that I could best him at archery…" his voice trailed off.

"How much?" demanded Raoul.

"30 gold nobles…" was the small reply.

"30 GOLD NOBLES?" echoed Alanna. "You don't have that kind of money!"

(A/N: Okay maybe that's not a lot…maybe I should've said 100 gold nobles…I'm wasn't sure about economics in those days, alright? Just think of 30 gold nobles as a lotta money)

"Jeris? JERIS OF NYLORD? Mithros Thom, what were you thinking?" Raoul exploded. "He is the best archer amongst you squires! Why in the world would you make a bet with him!" The last part came out as a statement.

"He wasn't being chivalrous?" he said weakly. 

Raoul opened his mouth to fire back at Thom, but Alanna beat him. "Look, explain later Thom and then Raoul you can say whatever you want to him! You said I could help Thom. But how? I don't have that kind of money myself! Tell me, how can I help?"

He looked at her gratefully, even though she was angry. "You can take my place."

"What?" said Raoul, unbelievingly. "This is no time for a jest, Thom. She's female!"

"So? She can shoot as well as a male squire! You saw the other day!" Thom retorted. "She might be better than Jeris!" 

"Hmm, you might have a point there." Raoul said, somewhat reluctant. "She does shoot well and she could be Jeris's match. But how can she pass as you Thom?" 

"I can disguise her!"

"How?" chorused Alanna and Raoul in unison.

"Alanna, you can wear my clothes since we're the nearly the same height, I can cast a shrinking spell on your hair and you don't have to worry about your pierced ears, because the hair will cover them. You can lower your voice a tone or two to sound like me."

"Um, you forgot one other detail." 

"What? I've covered everything!"

"Raoul, could you excuse us for a moment?" she asked.

He went into his room, closing the door between him.

"Thom, what about my chest!" she whispered fiercely.

His face turned a nice shade of scarlet red. "Oh… well, you – you can bind them flat!"

"With what?"

"I don't know! Um…how about some of that bandage material? Please help me, Alanna!"

She considered being in the competition. She really didn't mind taking Thom's place; in fact she was excited! But what if someone found out? Then she would be a disgrace to her home. _But not if I won the competition!_ She thought. _Wouldn't that be something, a girl winning an archery competition!_ But if people did know about this scheme then Thom's reputation would be destroyed. They would look down on him. She couldn't let that happen. _No_, she thought firmly _I can't tell people that I was the one in the competition, not Thom, no matter what. _

Sighing, she faced Thom. "Alright I'll do it."

Thom's smile was as bright as the sun. "Okay then. While you change into these clothes," he pointed to a white linen shirt, a pair of breeches on his bed and a pair of boots "I'll tell Raoul what's happened and I'll fetch the bandage material as well."

Alanna was about to pick up the clothes when Thom caught her arm. "Thank you, Alanna for doing this. You are truly a wonderful person." He said sincerely, his violet eyes warm. Suddenly the mood changed and Thom walked to Raoul's room briskly.


	5. Part 5

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Okay I know that I said this was suppose to be a love story and the previous chapters have been kinda action/adventure sort of, and you're all probably wondering when is the romance gonna come in. I can tell you that it's gonna be soon…I just have to finish this archery competition scene and then there will be some romance! I promise! So sorry to all the people who've been waiting for this chapter…but I'm back now! Hope you enjoy and please review…! Pretty please with sugar on top? 

__

While Thom went to fetch the bandage material, Alanna tried to keep herself cool, calm and collected but couldn't help feeling excited and a bit nervous. From what she had heard, this Jeris of Nylord was an excellent archer and probably a better one than her.

A knock on the door told her that Thom had come back. He gave her the material wordlessly, though his eyes were still warm and closed the door behind him. Alanna resumed her thoughts while she changed.

If she did not beat Jeris of Nylord, then how was Thom ever going to pay the money? Borrow the money from Jonathon? Thom's pride would probably be hurt if she asked Jon for the money. She couldn't believe that Thom had made a bet with someone involving physical activity, knowing that he couldn't even do better than her! 

She gave herself a check over in the mirror, nodded with satisfaction and opened the connecting door. Thom was muttering to himself, holding a book while Raoul was no where to be seen. For some reason, Thom was looking nervous.

"Where's Raoul?" she questioned.

"Oh, he's um-he's gone to check out what the competition is like. Okay," he closed the book with a thud, "I've memorized the shrinking spell, but the effect is going to wear off around 3 - 4 hours. As soon as you've done, rush back here and I'll undo the spell."

"Alright then. Make sure that the door is locked after I've left. If somebody knocks the door, don't answer it. "

"I'm coming with you to the archery competition."

"What?" she turned to face him. "You can't be serious Thom! If you came as well, then the plan –"

"I'm not stupid Alanna."

"Could have fooled me" she muttered under her breath, but Thom didn't hear.

"I'll be going to the competition as you, I've got everything sorted out."

"No Thom! No way are you going to the competition as me! If you intend to do that, then I absolutely refuse to take your spot!"

"But how am I – "

"That's your problem, not mine. I'm sorry if I'm being harsh, but you can definitely not go to the comp dressed as me! Look Thom there are other ways to go to the competition. You could cast an invisibility spell over you or be disguised as a commoner."

"Oh I suppose so. Anyway we better hurry, there isn't much time left. Sit down, close your eyes I'll cast the spell. Don't worry if you feel that your scalp is shrinking, that's to be expected."

She did as she was told and felt Thom place his hands on her hair as he began murmuring the spell. To say the whole experience was nothing would have been a lie. Alanna felt as something inside her head was pulling the hair back into the roots, winding all the hair back, like a kite. She didn't know how long the whole process took but when she heard Thom's voice she realized that she had been tense the whole time. Slowly, she opened her eyes and touched her hair. 

"Alanna how old are you?" he asked urgently. 

"Same age as you. 16 years old." She heard Thom sigh with relief. 

"Why did you—"

At that moment, Raoul burst the room. 

"You guys better hurry, the whole place is getting filled up with people and Jeris is being his usual self, cocky and –" he stopped speaking abruptly, when he noticed that there were now _two _Thoms in the room. "Mithros… who's who?"

Alanna practiced being Thom. "Have a guess, it really is quite simple." 

But by the way he kept looking back and forth between them it wasn't to him.

"I –I give up," he finally stuttered, "who's who?" The only answer that came were the Trebond's knowing smiles. "Oh well, one of you will reveal yourselves eventually. But as I was saying before Alanna you better hurry up. The crowd's getting larger by the minute and Jeris is telling everybody about the bet. Also I brought a disguise," he held up some garments, "for you to wear Thom." 

"In that case, let's go then." Alanna started towards the door then smacked her forward. "Silly me, I forgot to ask. Thom where's your bow and quiver?" He handed them to her as they walked towards the door. 

"You needn't to worry about the condition. I hardly use them at all, so you should be fine." 

Alanna was about to leave, when Thom grasped her arm. "Good luck, Alanna. Show them what the Trebonds can do" he whispered, the warmth coming back into his eyes this time accompanied with hope. 

"I'll do my best." She embraced him tightly then left with more determination than ever to beat Jeris of Nylord.

"How are you faring Lady Delia?"

"I am quite well. Thank you Your Majesty. How about you, Your Majesty?"

"Quite well. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Today is such a nice day isn't it?"

"Ah yes, quite a perfect day for the competition, wouldn't you agree?"

"I couldn't say it better myself, Your Majesty."

Again, they elapsed into silence, watching the noisy activity in front of them.

Jonathon sighed quietly. Was he doomed to make small talk for the rest of his life? Sure, Lady Delia was graceful, beautiful, polite and desirable but he wished that she'd be more interesting, more talkative, more fun. He wished that she'd be more - just then a flash of copper hair caught his eye.

Alanna weaved through the crowd and made her way to the table where she had to mark her name off. An old fat man was the only one there, with a doughy face that wasn't quite too pleasant to look at 

"Name?" grunted the fat man.

"Ala – Thom. Thom of Trebond." 

The man peered at her and his whole face changed. "Thom? You - You're the fool that made the bet with Jeris! Do you know lad, that the odds of you beating Jeris are 1 –100? But don't worry, you're going to do just fine!" the fat man roared with laughter.

Alanna quickly walked away from him, trying to fight the urge to slap the man. She sat down on a nearby bench and took deep breaths. So focused was she on her breathing, she didn't notice that someone had eased themselves next to her.

"Thom, me lad. I've been your friend, for lotsa years now and I know tat' you're a bright un, but tis is just folly. How can ya ever beat Jeris? Even Mithros can't help ya!" whispered the cloaked man next to her.

"I'd prefer if you didn't talk to me at the moment sir."

"Sir?" the stranger chuckled softly. "Lad, don't yer know who I am? It's yer friend, George! From the Dancing Dove!"

"George?"

"Aye lad. I s'ppose yer too nervous to re'mber."

The horn sounded. It was time for the competition to begin.

Alanna stood up. "Goodbye, I have to get going now."

"Good luck lad. Yer going to need it. Lots of it." He called after her

"Thom does, but I don't " she whispered to herself. "We'll just have to wait and see." 

****

Please review…?? PUH-LEASE??? *gets down on hands and knees * I BEG YOUUU!! PLEASE REVIEW MY STORYY!! IT WILL BE GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED!! ALL REVIEWS ARE WELCOME…(you can see how desperate I am for reviews when I mention the word all **which = flames included!)**


	6. Part 6

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My usual message at the bottom of this chapter…decided not to keep you fantastic people in suspense…this time that is….

Alanna was on her way to the marshalling area when she noticed that everybody had stopped speaking and were facing the podium where their Majesties and important nobles were situated. It was tradition that the King of the Tortallan Kingdom made a speech before the event. King Roald stood up and greeted his people. 

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, welcome! I hope you've enjoyed yourselves but as you know the cause of this festivity is the annual archery competition. This event has been held each and every year and has been become a tradition. Squires compete against each other, as the aim is to show whom the best Tortallan knight-in-training archer is. Whoever wins this year's competition," he paused for effect "shall be rewarded with 100 gold nobles." 

The crowd murmured among themselves excitedly. The king clapped his hands. "So let us not wait any more longer…the best archer shall be revealed today!"

Alanna was waiting when she felt someone push her roughly from behind. 

"Decided to show up dwarf?" drawled a voice, which dripped with sarcasm. "You surprise me Thom. Thought you'd be stealing money off one of your friends."

Alanna whirled around furiously. Her attacker was a few inches taller than she was, with blond hair and evil green eyes. His body was well muscled, for a teenager. Without a doubt, this had to be Jeris of Nylord. Several of his cronies accompanied him.

"And why would I do that?" she questioned with mock curiously.

"Because you don't have that kind of money, " he replied sneeringly. "Why Thom, don't you remember? We made a bet that you'd have to pay me 30 gold nobles if I won the competition. You better start stealing you piece of dung, this is a good time. Everybody's out here instead of in their chambers and they don't lock their doors at all."

"Hmm, you seem to know a lot about this," observed Alanna thoughtfully "perhaps this is what you've been doing in your spare time?"

Jeris raised his fist to punch Alanna, but one of his cronies stopped him. "Don't do it now Jeris. If we start a fight now, then it'd be foolish of us. Everybody'll think –"

Jeris waved his hand impatiently at him. "All right, all right." He faced Alanna. "Don't think that you'll get away with this. Everybody knows that I'm the best at archery and that you're the worst at it. I'll be waiting for my money " he warned threateningly. With this he walked off with his cronies.

A herald stepped into the middle of the yard and blared his horn 3 times, capturing everybody's attention. "Contestants will compete in groups of 8. Those who's arrows strike the center shall stay afterwards, while the others will be dismissed. Targets will be moved back 5 paces each time, until the winner is determined. First up, Dorm of Kanad, Geoffrey of Longhurst, Jeris of Nylord…" the herald went on to mention other names. Jeris walked forward, a cocky confident expression on his face. 

The herald shouted "Fiiiirrrreeeeee!!!"

Arrows flew in the air, quite a few struck the center including Jeris's. The crowd cheered for them. Group went after group, some people happy & some disappointed and each time the crowd cheered and the horns blared, but a little quieter each time. Alanna suddenly realized that they had saved all the poor archers till the last group. Her determined spirit faltered but only a bit. She scanned the crowds, searching for Thom and Raoul.

"Raoul, this cloak's making me itchy! And it smells like the stables!" hissed Thom.

"Sssh, be quiet! Otherwise people will find out!"

"But it sme - ah…point taken." Thom became silent.

A few minutes passed and Thom couldn't keep it in any longer. " Raoul, what's she doing now?"

"Be quiet! Do you want -"

"Raoul, this crowd's too interested in the archery competition to be eavesdropping on us! Now tell me what is she doing? Can you see if she's nervous? Scared?"

Raoul sighed. Why did his squire have to be so persuasive? "She's just sitting on the bench, watching the competition."

He pulled the cloak tight around him. "Can you see her face?"

"Why can't you go and see for yourself?"

"Cause if I do then, somebody's going to notice my eyes!" Thom whispered fiercely

"Okay, okay. She looks calm, at peace."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure my one true itchy friend " said Raoul wryly.

"Shut up Raoul. You think that I'm happy with this plan?"

"You seem to be content with it."

"Didn't anybody tell you the expression, 'looks can be deceiving?' I wish I could have some kind of spell to turn back time. Boy, could I fix all the mistakes I've made." He sighed. "Alanna shouldn't be involved with this plan. I should be the one out there, but no I'm here, hiding. After so many years of training, I still can't defend myself. Jeris was right. I am a pathetic coward " Thom whispered hoarsely, a dead look in his eyes. 

Raoul shifted uncomfortably on the wooden bench. This was a side of Thom he had never seen in the past before and he didn't like it. "That's not true. You are brave," dry laughter came from Thom. Raoul went on "to stand all these years of training. You could've run away from the palace, but you didn't. You stayed here and faced it. I admit, you don't do well in the fighting arts, but you do extremely well in sorcery. Your greatest dream was to become a sorcerer and you're achieving it. You don't bully people. You treat people with respect. You're not like Jeris who's a jerk. I'm honored to know you and have you as a friend Thom of Trebond." Raoul coughed, suddenly embarrassed. "Point is, you're not a coward. Everything is going to work out." He tried to sound gruff. 

Thom looked up at his knight master slowly. "Thank you," he said softly " thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me."

The crowd cheered, disrupting the warm connection between them. This time Thom cheered as well, standing on his feet. Raoul hid a smile. Thom was once more his old self again.

Meanwhile, Jonathon wasn't having a grand time with Lady Delia. His mother had forced him to invite Lady Delia to sit with them during the archery competition and being the, well, obedient son he was, he had obeyed. Lady Delia was ecstatic that he had invited her but thinking an entirely different reason as to why he had invited her. Jonathon had tried several topics with the brunette, hoping that they could really talk about something. But so far, no luck. The woman just wasn't interesting. Queen Lianne gave her son a meaningful look. Jonathon rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. 

"Are you enjoying the competition Lady Delia?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for asking." She seemed distracted.

"Something the matter?" he inquired.

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that, that boy with the red hair sitting on the bench seems familiar."

Jonathon looked where she pointed. "Ah, do you know Thom of Trebond?" Maybe someone they both knew?

"Is that his name? How fascinating! There use to be a girl at the convent where I attended called Lady Alanna of Trebond. " 

"Really? Did you know her?" asked Jonathon.

"Oh no, I just knew that she attended the same convent as I. But throughout the years, I heard quite a lot of things about her."

"Such as? If I may ask, Lady Delia." He added hastily. 

"Of course Your Majesty. Well one of them was that she was making up the fact that she was sick, which was most of the time, because she had a lover in the city. Another one was that she wanted to be a knight when she grew up." Delia sniggered. "A rather silly idea, wouldn't you agree Your Majesty?"

"Well not really." He didn't what it was, but he felt a strange urge to defend Alanna. " I mean, maybe she would've made an excellent knight?"

Delia just looked at him, not believing him, until she suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh Your Majesty, you perform a jest so convincingly! For a moment there, I thought you were serious!" She patted his arm, still laughing. 

Jonathon frowned. " Pardon me Lady Delia, but it was not a – "

The herald blew his trumpet (a/n: or was it a horn?), drowning Jonathon's words. "And the last group," the herald proclaimed " Jonan of Fareway, Naluf of Shrek (A/N: I ran out of names!), Thom of Trebond…" Jonathon didn't hear the rest. His eyes were riveted on the violet-eyed figure, which so reminded him of a certain person. (a/n: yeah I know that was crap…I was trying to create a hmm-maybe-jon-is-falling-for-alanna kind of feel….Guess I totally failed that!)

Thom was trying to get part of his cloak out from under the fat lady sitting next to him when he suddenly heard his name called out loud. Whipping his head around, he saw his twin emerge from the benches set aside. His throat suddenly went dry. It was time. 

Alanna stood up at the sound of her brother's name being mentioned, a small knot forming in her stomach. "Good luck Thom" Jeris called out from his seat. "Make sure that you fire the arrow forward. We wouldn't want a repeat of last time in practice would we?" His cronies laughed outright at this. The crowd was definitely amused when they saw the last group of archers. Thom of Trebond was competing in an archery competition? Thom of Trebond who couldn't even control his own horse or barely defend himself in swordplay? What folly! Still, everybody gradually became quiet, eager to witness Thom's foolishness.

Alanna's heart rate sped up as she made her way to the target assigned to her. She tried to take deep breaths, tried to calm herself down but it didn't work. She was scared. _What's this? Okay don't panic_! She thought frantically_ Don't panic! Just focus on the target. Everything is just going to be fine!_ She loaded her arrow and pulled it back to her ear, focusing on the target. It was now her and the target.

The herald gave the signal. "Fiiiirrrreeee!" 

Arrows flew in the air. Some hit the target while others made the ground. But not one of them was Alanna's.

Heads turned to find out the reason why there were no cries of "Oww, my buttocks!"

Alanna just stood there, frozen like a statue. Her feet were parted slightly, the arrow pulled back to her ear, her stance correct. What was the problem? Someone yelled out "What's the matter Thom? Afraid of the big bad bow?" The crowd tried to hide their laughter with little success.

The herald was annoyed. There were a lot of groups to get through today and this boy was stopping him from letting the competition proceed. "Thom of Trebond, if you intend to shoot that arrow, then I suggest you do so now otherwise I shall have no choice but to disqualify you from the archery competition. Do you hear me?" The crowd waited for Thom's decision. Would he have the guts to do so?

Alanna's whole body was trembling with fear and nervousness. She fought to keep the bow posed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the herald coming towards her, ready to take her away. She sent a silent prayer to the Great Mother Goddess to protect her and with her eyes shut close, she let the arrow loose.

****

A/N: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH x one 1000000 FOR THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED MY STORY AND THE LAST CHAPTER…it was great reading your reviews and your suggestions…yes I'll try to have the courtesy of writing who's speaking what and no…this is not gonna be an Alanna/Raoul fanfic…SORRY!! I intend to make this an alanna/jonathon fanfic 100%…but that doesn't mean that I won't try an alanna/raoul fanfic in the future…or an alanna/coram fanfic…lolz…joking…so anyways thanks once again for your reviews…they were gratefully appreciated…*vision: author dancing to "I'M A BELIEVER", shouting "WOO HOO….I GOT 26 REVIEWS!! WOO HOOO…YEAAHHH BABY!!!"*…guess I was kind of hyper that day…so one more time…(audience sighs)…THANK YOU TO YOU MEGA MEGA FANTASTIC PEOPLE!…oh, and don't forget to read and review this chapter…all reviews are gratefully appreciated…including flames…and I will definitely try to upload more often! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Okay…guess I better shut up now and let you review it ^_^**…you will review it right?**

. 


	7. Part 7

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Once again, my usual message is at the bottom (I'm sooo nice! {j/k})…now on with the story!

The crowd became silent as the arrow soared through the air. Here was the moment where Thom of Trebond would make a fool out of himself! For a moment it seemed that time had stopped, with the exception of the twisting arrow. Many pairs of eyes followed the arrow as it made it's way to the target, expecting it to dive into the ground. But that never happened. Instead it dug firmly into the center of the target. Mouths hung open; eyes bulged, people not believing what they saw. The redhead boy had hit the target! Thom of Trebond, who couldn't even get close to the target in the practice, who couldn't stay in the saddle for more than a few minutes, had hit the target! This was unbelievable! Eyes stared at the young youth that was responsible for this – this miracle! For a long time no body made a sound. The herald was astounded. He had heard of this boy's reputation as the Worst Squire. And now in front of him, the boy had hit the target! Shaking his head, he cleared his throat. Whatever the case, the competition had to proceed. 

"Congratulations Thom of Trebond. Now would you mind stepping to the side please? I do believe it is the next group's turn " the herald said quietly.

"What? Oh yes! Sorry about that!" Alanna walked away, herself a bit stunned. She hid a smile as she noticed Jeris's shocked expression. _Now that the worst is over_ she thought as she sat down _I might be able to have some fun! _

Thom had to bite his lip from yelling out "I knew you could do it Sis!" when the arrow hit the target. The happiness and relief bubbled inside him threatening to explode from him. "Did you see that Raoul?" he asked excitedly. "Did you see that! She hit the target in the middle! She can go into the next group! She's in! She's going to beat Jeris!"

Raoul had to laugh at his squire's reaction. "Yes, I saw it. I'm not a blind man. She certainly gave everybody a surprise! I thought she wasn't going to compete at all when she froze! But " his tone now serious "we don't know if she can beat Jeris. I admit your sister is good, but Jeris has had several years of training and practice here at the palace. I don't wish to admit this, but I think that – " 

Thom clamped his hand over Raoul's mouth. "Don't. Say. It. Raoul. Don't even think it. I won't have you discourage me or jinx Alanna. Alanna's going to win." He gazed down at his twin sister. "I just know it."

"I admire your faith in your sister, but could you remove your hand please? No offense, but it smells like the stables! And it's not exactly pleasant!"

Lady Delia examined a scarlet nail as the competition continued. She couldn't believe how boring the archery competition was. Still though, it was worth sitting next to Prince Jonathon of Tortall, who would someday become King Jonathon of Tortall. _And the King needs a Queen_ she thought _so who would make a better queen than me? No one at all!_

The first time she had laid her eyes on the Prince, Delia had only one goal in mind: to become the next Queen of Tortall. Since then she had gained a reputation as the meanest (although Jonathon was unaware of this) and the prettiest woman at court. Numerous marriage proposals had been offered to her but she had rejected them all, still waiting for one in particular. She glanced over at the Prince. Goddess, he was so handsome! _Finally he notices me!_ She thought ruefully _He sure took his time! I could've been married by now!_ But then of course her chance of being the next Queen would have been taken away and she couldn't have that, could she? Smoothing the creases in her dress, she recalled how many ladies had been a threat to her goal. There were too many to count, but none of them were serious. Except one. Princess Josiane of the Copper Isles. Her emerald green eyes narrowed at the thought of that blonde-haired beauty. The snobby princess had made it clear on the first day that she intended to become the Queen, thus destroying Delia's plan. It didn't help Delia that Josiane and Jonathon's mothers were friends. Not at all. Every time she saw Jonathon, Josiane was always with him. They both seemed so close. It was like as if she was stuck to his side permanently. Delia _had_ to get rid of her, when she overhead Princess Josiane and the Queen making plans for the royal marriage of her and Jonathon. So Delia started a rumor that Josiane was going to become a lunatic in the future. It was common knowledge that every once in a while, someone in the royal Copper Isles bloodline became a killing maniac. Eventually, the news reached the Prince's ears and Jonathon dumped Josiane, as Delia had hoped, graciously. The Princess didn't take the news too well. She remembered the day when Josiane sobbed her way to the carriage. What a beautiful day that was. Sneaking a peek at the Prince, she smiled secretly. Her goal would be achieved soon. 

After he had recovered from his shock, Jeris had just sneered at Thom (a/n: jeris's pov this time), saying that it was just a lucky shot. But as the competition went on, it was becoming clear that his theory wasn't true. Thom was hitting the target every time. It seemed that he was at ease and that he actually enjoyed it! Somehow, someway he had turned into a decent archer, almost as good as – _No!_ _That's not possible! No one can ever be as good as me! _Jeris thought fiercely_ I am the best! Jeris of Nylord is the best! Thom won't beat me! He won't beat me! _ Still though, he wasn't very reassured by these thoughts as Thom continued to excel.

Alanna wiped her sweaty palms on her tunic as she walked towards the benches. She had just completed another round. So far she hadn't been eliminated and she still continued to amaze the audience, some of them wondering if they had made the right choice on the bet. Settling herself down she scanned the crowds again, trying to find her brother and his knight-master. Yet again no luck. Her eyes traveled over to the podium. The Queen's side was occupied by Jonathon … who was talking to a woman next to him. Alanna sat up. She wasn't there before! Squinting her eyes, she tried to get a better view. The woman seemed vaguely familiar. She had chestnut hair, green eyes…Alanna widened her eyes in recognition. Delia of Eldorne! She couldn't believe what she saw. _Delia_'_s_ _here?_ She thought _Great Gods! _

Delia of Eldorne had made a lasting impression at the convent. She had always gotten what she wanted, no matter what. Although Alanna had known her, she had never talked to her. The reason was that she couldn't defend herself. Sure, she could defend herself in combat, but Delia had a sharp mind and a mouth that could shock even the sternest Daughters. Delia could make your life hell. 

Alanna couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy as she watched the couple, Delia inching closer by the second. _Control yourself_ her stern side ordered _Jon's a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Why should you be jealous? You've never liked anyone in the past! Focus on the competition! That's the most important thing, focus, focus! _Alanna drew a deep breath and cleared out her mind, with only one thing remaining. The competition.

With each round, the groups were getting smaller and smaller. And with each round Alanna grew more confidant while Jeris on the other hand was getting nervous, though it didn't show in his performance. More people started to wonder if they had indeed made the wrong choice in the bet. Round went after round until it was just down to Jeris, Geoffrey of Longhurst and Alanna.

The herald blew his horn and announced the last group. "Since this is our last group and there are only 3 contestants left, the competition rules have been altered." The crowd murmured in curiousity. This had never happened before. "There shall be one target present only, stood back at one hundred and fifty paces." Alanna silently gasped. The farthest the targets had been were eighty paces! "Each contestant shall receive three turns each, one at a time. Any of the contestants who do not hit the target shall be dismissed immediately. A winner shall be determined by whoever's arrow is closest to the center of the target. As this is a very exciting competition, we have 2 judges to overcome any judging difficulties: Duke Gareth of Naxen and Sir Myles of Olau. The final contenders are: Jeris of Nylord, Geoffrey of Longhurst and … Thom of Trebond."

The three stepped out, with the audience eager to see who would win. Alanna ignored the their stares at her back, as she fitted her arrow to her bow with shaking hands. She could feel the excitement rising inside her but she refused to let it get a hold on her. Patiently, she waited.

The herald repeated the instructions he had given to the audience then told them in which order they would go in. Jeris would go first, Geoffrey second and Alanna last. He gave the signal and Jeris fired his arrow, where it landed halfway between the center and the edge of the target. Geoffrey's arrow landed a few inches away from Jeris's, while Alanna's nearly missed the target, landing just on the edge. She cursed herself. _Stupid!_ _What was that?! I almost didn't make it! Okay, I've still got two more goes. Just stay calm and focus. Focus focus! _Breathing in deeply, she loaded her bow.

The assistants quickly removed the arrows from the target and scattered, not wanting to receive an unpleasant surprise from the archers. The herald gave the signal once again. Jeris fired, this time, his arrow landing closer to the center. Geoffrey's arrow missed the target completely, causing him to break his bow across his knee and a yell of anguish. Alanna's effort wasn't much better than the last one. Her arrow landed a few inches from where her previous arrow had been. The betters in the audience sighed with relief. It looked like they were going to win the bet, the way Alanna was going.

The assistants repeated their actions and the herald gave the signal again. This was it. The decider. Who would get their money and whose reputation would be changed. Confidently, Jeris fitted his arrow and carefully aimed it, taking more time than usual. Letting the arrow fly, it landed in the center. Or so it seemed to him. The judges announced that although it was very close to the center, he hadn't made it. Apparently the arrow had just missed the center's circle. Alanna nearly fell down with relief. She still had a chance! Jeris, on the other hand, was fit to be tied. He was about to complain to the judges, when he thought why should he be so angry. He was competing against Thom of Trebond, the loser. Thom wasn't that good. Not as good as Jeris anyway, so why should he care? Thom wasn't going to win. Jeris had already won anyway. Satisfied with this thought, he remained where he was. 

Alanna's palms were suddenly sweaty, as she fitted her arrow. Her heat began to thump heavily and the audience's rudeness. She gritted her teeth grimly. No she would not let it get to her. She glanced up at the crowd and surprisingly found Thom in the midst of them all. Although he was wearing a cloak, his expression was clear on his face. His violet eyes were calm and full of trust, his mouth set in a grin. He had faith in her. Thom believed she could do it. Just staring at his face helped her to steady herself physically and mentally. Slowly she pulled the arrow back to her ear, ignoring Jeris's taunts, which could only be heard by her, the crowd's teasing and the herald's urges to hurry up again. Her determination rushing back to her, she let loose the arrow. It glided through the air, carrying Alanna's confidence. 

Everybody gasped as it struck the dead center of the target. There was not a sound to be heard. Someone slowly clapped, almost hesitantly. Then it was joined by another person and followed by another one. Soon enough, the whole crowd was clapping, including Their Majesties. The result was thunderous applause. Alanna glanced at Jeris. 

Jeris was staring with disbelief at Thom. _This is not happening. Thom of Trebond, the worst archer in all of Tortall, did not win the competition. He didn't win the bet of 30 gold nobles. He couldn't have _– Jeris's eyes rolled back and he fell down, landing on the grass in a pile.

Alanna grinned as officials rushed to help the fallen squire. She knew it was rude, but she still did it anyway. The expression on his face – Alanna had to control herself from laughing out loud. She turned away from them and faced the crowd. Thom was staring straight at her, with an expression all too clear to Alanna. _I knew you could do it. Thank you sister dear, I won't ever forget this. I love you. _Blushing, she made her way to the stand where she would be rewarded with her prize of 100 gold nobles. But the greatest prize of all, was the gratitude on Thom's face. She would treasure that forever.

****

A/N: As always I'd like to say a BIG thank you to all those people who reviewed the last chapter…you know who you are….your reviews were cool. Sorry about the cliffhanger in the last chapter…hehehe…the majority of you didn't like that! I'll try to keep that in mind in the future…some of you said that you didn't think alanna would freeze like that…true…but then again if I didn't make her freeze, then there'd be no cliffhanger to keep you interested! Can't remember who…but somebody wanted me to make Delia more evil…she evil enough for you in this chapter? Hahaha …anyways, no this ain't gonna be an alanna/raoul fanfic! It's an alanna/jon fanfic! Sorry to all those people I left hanging on the cliffhanger (which is like nearly 100% of you!), I'll try to upload sooner…the holidays are near…woohoo! If you wanna know my name or anything just e-mail me at asianlioness@hotmail.com**… and yes, I'll try not to say thank you so many times as it gets "tedious"…but you gotta understand I was so bloody (excuse my language) happy…anyways enough with this…go review!! Oh crap (excuse my language again)..forgot to say something very important…MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU AND I WISH Y'ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Remember to review! **


	8. Part 8

****

Disclaimer: It just occurred to me (major lie there) that I should put one of these up…so here it is, I don't own any of the characters here except for Jeris of Nylord, they all belong to Tamora Pierce. Don't sue me otherwise I won't be able to write any more fics. And this goes for every chapter I write, okay?!

Message at the bottom (maybe I should stick to this routine, whaddaya think?)

Alanna rushed up the stairs to Thom's rooms, praying that he be already there. She knocked on the door and unfortunately no reply came. Damn it! Where was Thom? She slid down against the wall. If he didn't come soon enough, she would have to endure another painful experience given to her by the crowd.

After receiving her reward, the crowd had surrounded her and congratulated her, by slapping her back hard enough to make her cough, messing up her hair and giving her handshakes with a grip that nearly broke Alanna's bones. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the crowd let her go, making her promise to spend some time with them. She had just nodded and merely smiled, no definite answer given.

Her muscles ached, her feet were exhausted and sweat swept her body, but Alanna felt proud. Even great. She, Alanna of Trebond, a girl who had spent 6 years at a convent, had just beaten the best squires in all of Tortall. Not to mention the fact that they were all male. And they had had more training than she had. And they didn't have to learn two sets of things at the same time. And they – 

Someone shook her. "Thom! Are you all right?" 

Alanna's head snapped up. Jonathon was peering at her, the expression of worry clearly etched on his handsome face. 

"Oh-oh me?" she spluttered, surprised. "I'm-I'm fi-fi-fine! Just err…err…taking a rest! Tir - tired. The competition exhausted me."

"Ah, I see. Congratulations on your win by the way! But I say, wouldn't it be more comfortable to be inside your room?"

"My room…? Oh! My room! That's a good idea! But err, I can't, cause you see…I err…err…I – "

"Because he forgot his key and has a forgetful memory." A voice joked. "Which is why I'm his knight-master." Raoul appeared behind Jonathon. 

"Yep, that's it! Raoul hit the nail right on the head! Don't you think he's smart Jon? I think he's the smartest person alive!"

The Prince raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"What? Of course! I'm as fit as a fiddle!"

Raoul coughed. "Must be the heat out there. I hear it can cause some damage to the mind."

Jonathon nodded slowly, his eyes sceptical. "Yes I see."

Thom's knight-master ushered Alanna into the unlocked room. "Well, I think Ala - Thom needs a bit of a rest, so best leave him to it."

"Absolutely. Well, tell him that we'll do something to celebrate his win. When he's well that is. "

"Sure thing, Jon." Raoul promised

The prince nodded briskly and walked away. Raoul watched him until he could see him no more and then motioned for a cloaked figure to come into his room.

"What in the Great Goddess's name took you people so long?" Alanna demanded angrily when her twin appeared.

Thom removed the cloak. "I got held up, okay? Everybody was trying to congratulate you, so I had to wait till everybody was gone and then I could get here!"

"You sure took your time!" she retorted.

"Jeez, what's your problem Alanna? I thought you'd be happy after winning!"

"What's my problem?! I'll – " Alanna shook her head. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me. Can we just get the spell done?" 

"Okay, okay. Sit down on that chair and I'll undo the spell."

"There better not be any mistakes" she grumbled as she sat "otherwise I will see to it that you'll have frogs coming out of your throat!"

Later that day (a/n: around evening/night time), Alanna was reading a book (a/n: okay I know that so isn't Alanna, but hey it's my story!) when a knock sounded on the door. She opened it to reveal Raoul. Knowing Maude was trying to see who it was at the door, she hastily closed it behind her.

"What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" she asked, concerned something might have happened.

"I'm in a hurry at the moment but yes, everything's fine. Meet me outside the palace gates, under the big tree when the 10th bell rings. Thom will be coming as well."

"What? Why? Where are we going?"

He smiled secretly. "You'll just have to meet us there to find out."

"At least tell me where are we going? Raoul? Come back here! Tell me!" she demanded as he walked away.

"Remember to meet us under the big tree when the 10th bell rings!" he called over his shoulder.

Muttering, she entered her room to find Maude grinning at her like a Cheshire cat, with her hands clasped in front of her. "Ah, Alanna my dear child. You've grown up right in front of my eyes!"

She backed away from her, cautious. "Maude? Have you got a fever? Because you've been acting very strangely lately!"

"Me? I'm fine! Nothing's wrong. Enough about me. Alanna dearest, have you decided what you are going to wear when you meet Raoul tonight?"

"What - How did you – Did you eavesdrop on us? Wait, don't answer that, I don't want to know." Alanna returned to reading her book, sighing. "Besides, it's not what you think. It's not a date. And as to what I'll be wearing," she shrugged " I'll just pick something out later. Probably the blue dress I wore yesterday."

"What?!" Maude snapped of her happy mood. "Alanna! You cannot be serious! It has so many stains on it! And a rip in the side!" 

"So?" questioned Alanna, turning a page in the book. "I don't care. Besides I don't know where we're going. And it's not going to be just – "

"Alanna! Haven't you learnt anything from the convent? You are 16 years old! It's time to find a husband! I won't always be here to look after you, you know. You do want to look your best don't you? Well then, let's start getting ready! Put that book down!" Maude ordered.

The next three hours were spent preparing Alanna for her mysterious outing, involving Thom and Raoul. The first hour saw them both arguing which outfit to wear. Whenever Alanna chose one, Maude said it was either too boring or the colour didn't suit her and whenever Maude chose one, Alanna said it was too sharp or too revealing. Finally, they settled on a dark-coloured dress with sleeves that flowed and a low neckline (but not too low to make Alanna conscious), which also included pockets (so Alanna could bring a dagger, in case of any incidents), set with dainty slippers and a cloak. The next hour saw Maude fixing Alanna's tangled and tattered hair. It took half an hour just to get rid of all the tangles and to straighten it, complete with Alanna's yells of pain. And then it took a further ten minutes to decide what to do with her hair. Again, none of them could agree on anything, so in the end they decided for the simple, neat yet sophisticated look: a plait with a few tendrils to frame her face. The last hour saw Maude's unsuccessful attempts to place face-paint on Alanna. Maude wanted to do an all-out makeover, but Alanna wasn't having it. She didn't want any at all in fact, but in the end a swipe of blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Stand back Alanna, let me have a look at you " said Maude 

She obeyed and Maude nodded with satisfaction. "You know, if you'd only wear just a bit of face-paint each day you'd actually look like a proper Lady."

Alanna gave a snort. "Fat chance of that happening. You should know that by now Maude."

The bell rang accompanied by a watchman's cry 'the 10th bell at night'.

"Well there's my signal. Guess I better go. Goodbye Maude. Remember to blow out the candles and don't wait up for me." Alanna threw her cloak over her shoulders and disappeared into the corridor, leaving Maude pondering what time she was going to come back.

It was dark outside the palace, but a small ball of bright purple fire lighted the night. Two figures could be seen, a boy sitting on a rock and a young man leaning against an enormous tree.

"Did you get the money from Jeris today?" asked Raoul, crossing his arms.

"No," Thom shook his head and smiled grimly "You know what he did? He opened his door a bit and then said 'You want it? Well you ain't gonna get it! I don't own you any money!' and slammed the door in front of my face! That – that piece of trash! That chicken! I ought to smash his face in! "

"Indeed, you should," a voice said dryly " but I doubt you have the strength to do that."

Thom directed his ball of light to where the voice had come from. "Alanna! Thank God you're here! We've been waiting for ages! So can we go now Raoul?"

"Not yet " he replied, looking towards the palace. "We still have to wait for someone else to come."

"Where are we going anyway? And who's the other person? Is it Jon? Gary?" asked Alanna.

"Jon said that he might not make it tonight, but he'd try," her twin answered. "His mother wanted him to meet some new ladies that arrived today." 

"Oh," she said, "Well is it Gary?" She tried to fight the disappointment inside her that had risen when she heard about Jon.

"Gary?" laughed Raoul. "Nah. He's too busy spending the night with Cythera of Elden. Apparently, 'she has eyes like the moon and lips you'd think were from the goddess'. Needless to say, he's infatuated with her. He won't be coming."

"So who are we waiting for then? And where are we going?" she asked again, impatient.

"We're going to celebrate your win tonight!" Thom slung an arm around Alanna's shoulders.

"Really? Wow…Thanks! But you don't have to…"

"Are you kidding? What have you done with my sister Alanna?! Of course we have to celebrate! You beat Jeris of Nylord today, the best squire archer! And you won 100 gold nobles! Come on!"

" Well…err…okay…if you say it like that…but who are we waiting for?" she asked again, annoyed now. "If we're going to celebrate my win, don't I have the right to know who's coming? Could you please tell me Raoul?"

"Turn around and you'll see " a familiar voice said right behind her.

****

A/N: Oh no! Another cliffhanger! Eeek! And I promised that I won't any of those in, in the future! Double eek! Okay, enough with the eeks. Again thank you to the ppl who reviewed…(I don't care what any of you say, I'm gonna include that sentence in every chapter)…hope you all have a merry x-mas…and a happy new year…also I took longer than usual to write this chapter…sorry again…one of youse gods said that you'd like to see George to make another cameo…yeah he's gonna make one…just look out for him in the following chapters…I have a problem…should I end the story at the grand ball or should I write a few more chapters after? Tell me what you think and remember…always be a responsible person and r-e-v-i-e-w …otherwise no more Lady Alanna! And we wouldn't want that would we? Mwhahaha …. *coughs* …okay just review it…pleaze? Pretty please? Oh yeah nearly forgot, flames and criticism are greeted 'with arms wide open'…lolz…remember to review! Damn it…I nearly passed two thousand words! Okay I'll just write more pointless stuff here…3 more words! Wohoo…past the two thousand words mark! Okay review…I'll shut up now… 


	9. Part 9

Turning her head around slowly, Alanna came face to face with a pair of blue sapphire eyes. She swallowed with sudden difficulty. 

"Jon," she said. "I thought you were busy tonight?"

"I _was _busy," the Prince corrected, smiling down at her. "But now", he said with mock weakness, "I'm terribly unwell and I have to rest till tomorrow."

Alanna smiled and moved away from him. She didn't want Jon to notice that her heart rate had gone up.

" Well now that Jon's here," Thom butted in. "Could we please get moving, Raoul?"

"Yes, yes, okay, okay! I say, Thom, you're usually not so excited to get out of the palace, " observed Raoul. "What's the reason?"

Thom blushed, something all three were surprised to see. "Well, yes, err – I – err…" he stammered.

"What Thom is trying to say is that," supplied Alanna. "He's eager to get moving because he wants to introduce me to some of his friends."

"What?! No – Oh yeah … yep that's why I'm so – err…eager to…get…moving…" 

"Sure is! We'll meet you two down there then. Come on Thom!" and with that she dragged Thom with her down the path, leaving the two puzzled knights behind.

"What do you think that was all about?" Raoul asked Jon, as they mounted up on their horses.

"I don't know. You should know, you're his knight-master!"

Raoul shrugged. "I'm as clueless as you are, Jon. "

"Well in that case, why don't we start moving then? It'd certainly do us no good standing here."

"True. Very true. Extremely true. Immensely – "

"Raoul, I get the point, " interrupted his friend. "So, what do you think of Alanna?"

When they were both out of earshot, Alanna prodded Thom.

"Okay, spill. Why are you so eager to go where we're going?"

"Well, because I haven't seen my friends for – "

"Give me the _real_ reason Thom. This is your _twin_ you're talking to."

"Damn it," the boy muttered. "After 6 years, you still know me so well. Well," he started, "it's because…"

"Because…?" Alanna prompted.

"Um, I …err…" 

"Is it really that hard to say?"

"Yes! It really is!"

"Look Thom, whatever it is, I promise that I'll be supportive, no matter what. Okay?"

"How will you know that?"

"Thom!" yelled his sister in frustration, her short temper beginning to rise.

"Okay, okay! It's because…well I've met someone…" he mumbled.

"Well, that's great! I'm glad you made a friend! What's his name?"

He mumbled something Alanna couldn't hear. " Could you say it once more again? I couldn't hear it."

"It's not a he. It's a she."

" Oh…_Oh_… well…hey, that's still great! You have to introduce me - "

" We're a little more than _just_ friends." 

"Oh." She was at a loss for words. Thom had a girlfriend?! 

They walked in awkward silence, until Thom broke the ice.

"I knew it! I knew it! You think that this is all a big joke, don't you?"

"No, no, no! I'm just – it wasn't what I was expecting…"

"But why? Did you think that I'd never fall in love?" 

"No, no!" she said with emphasis "I always thought that you'd fall in love one day. It's just a shock to me. I mean, I've lived with you for ten years and you've never shown any interest in girls before."

"That's because I was _10 years old_, sis." 

"Well, still…so how long have you two been together?"

"Around two months."

"What's her name?"

" Linny."

"That's a nice name."

Another awkward silence passed. Alanna nodded, her eyes on the ground. "Great. Well hey, I'm happy for you guys! You have to remember to introduce me to her, all right?"

No reply came. "Thom?"

She looked up. No one was beside her. 

"Thom? Where are you?" A sudden noise behind her made her look.

Her twin had stopped walking and was just staring at her. His face held an expression, one that she couldn't read.

"Goddess, Thom you gave me a fright there!"

Thom gave no reply.

She walked towards him, panic beginning to rise. "Thom? Answer me Thom! You're starting to scare me! What's wrong?"

"Huh? What? Who?" Thom broke out of his trance. 

"You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"I did? Um, sorry. I was just thinking … about something that's all. Sorry again."

The hesitation in his voice did not reassure Alanna. "What were you thinking about?"

"Something, that's all. Anyway, don't you want to know where we're going? " 

"Don't try and – "

"Here we are: the place your celebration shall take place my dear sister!"

Vowing silently to ask him about his strange behaviour later, she looked to where he pointed and noticed a sign.

"The Dancing Dove?" she questioned, as they approached. "What sort of place is this?" She could hear people laughing inside.

"It's a bar. What? Too rough for your liking? Oh no! You've turned into one of those simple-minded, chesty, delicate ladies Alanna!" teased Thom.

"Phft" she snorted. "Delicate? How about we have an arm-wrestle tomorrow and see who's delicate!" 

Laughing, Thom led her inside. Immediately, the crowd started to cheer and clap. Several people greeted Thom all at once, pushing Alanna out of the way.

"Thom!" she yelled, trying to be heard over the noise. "Thom!" But the noise was too loud. Moving out of the forceful crowd, she sat at the bar and ordered something to drink. She heard a few whistles aimed at her, but chose to ignore them. One man however, was persistent. He sat down next to her and slid his hand down her arm. "Ye look lonely t'night lass. What do ye say we get upstairs and get te know e'ch other better, hmm?" 

"No thank you. Please remove your hand." Alanna said through gritted teeth.

"Aw, come on, Lass. Don't play te – hard – te - get game. All I 'eed is a signal, " he leaned in and whispered, " and I could show ye how good I'm at keepin' ye warm in bed."

Anger and outrage overtook her. How dare this man think she was a one-night stand! She let her fist slam hard into the man's side, causing him to fall from his stool.

The man cried out in pain, furious now. "Why, ye little naught good – " He raised his arm to slap her. But a muscular arm, which belonged to a man with a strong tall build and brown hair, grabbed it. He seemed familiar to Alanna. "Enough," the stranger commanded. "Didn't ye Ma ever taught ye to treat ladies nicely?"

"Out 'er my way! This ain't got naught to do wit ye!"

"If ye don't stop tis right now, I'll be forced te make ye stop " the stranger warned, his voice hinting at a threat.

The man considered his choices. He could walk away and have a ruined reputation or he could have his head bashed in by this stranger, who was a head taller than him and in better shape than he was. Glaring coldly at Alanna, the man limped away.

"Thank you for that. But I could've handled it myself."

The stranger chuckled, making Alanna a bit annoyed. "What? What's so funny?" she asked.

" It's just – no, forget what I said. Nothing's funny, just me being an old fool. So what's a pretty lass like you, doing in a place like tis?" he gestured the room before them. People were still congratulating Thom, while others had chosen to go back to their seats and drink. Candles lit the whole place up.

Alanna noticed that the stranger had hazel eyes framed with long lashes, before answering him. " Well, I'm here to celebrate my brother's win. But it seems like he doesn't need me to celebrate."

"Aye…would ye brother be Thom of Trebond?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

The stranger chuckled again. " It ain't too hard te tell, considering that ye and him have te same height, same hair colour and same eye colour. I'm guessing that ye Lady Alanna of Trebond?"

She flinched at the mention of the word 'Lady'. "Yes, that's right. And who might you be?"

"One of ye brother's good friends."

"You know what I mean."

"Aye, I do. And aye, I shall tell ye. The name's George."

"George? George! Why, you're the one that was in the cloak today!" she exclaimed. No wonder he looked so familiar!

"And how would you know that, lass?" he asked suspiciously 

"Oh…well because you came up to – to –to Thom! I, err, saw you both!"

"But that don't explain how ye know my name."

"Oh that," she gave a nervous laugh. "Well, err, Thom told me, so that's why." She cursed herself silently for nearly exposing the plan.

"Ah, I see. But I'm quite sure that -"

At that moment, Jon rushed over. "Alanna! Are you all right? Someone told me that you were in a fight!" His eyes were clouded with concern.

"I'm fine, thanks to – " Alanna began.

"GEORGE COOPER!" yelled someone. "SOMEONE WANTS YA BY THE DOOR!"

George groaned. "Not now! Ah well it was great meetin ye Alanna and hope I'll see ye soon again. Jon, keep an eye on her, otherwise that jerk might come back again." He disappeared into the crowd, leaving Alanna pondering about him.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked the Prince as she sipped her drink. She hoped the brandy would help her stay awake. A sudden wave of tiredness had hit her.

He sat down. "Yes, we've known each other a few years now. Gary and Raoul know him as well."

"Does he know that you're the Prince? How did you all meet?"

Leaning back into his seat, he thought back to that very day. "Yes, he does know. Well, Thom and Gary knew him first. George saw Thom the first time he came here. And then Thom introduced me to George, when he asked me to go with him to check out his horse, Moonlight. After that, Thom introduced Raoul to him. And that's how we all know George."

"Ah, he seems like a nice fellow. What does he do for a living?" She pinched herself to keep awake.

"Well, he's the King of Thieves."

"Really? That's nice." 

Jon shot her an amazed look. "Are you feeling alright Alanna?"

"Of course I am. Why'd u ask?"

"Well, it's just a surprise that you don't seem …shocked or anything..."

Laughing she replied, "Well you're talking to the girl who can beat her brother in archery here. I'm not a normal Lady, as you probably might've noticed. And why should I be shocked? He's a person like everybody else in this room."

Jon shook his head. "Alanna, you never cease to amaze me."

"Of course! If I did, I'd be just another ordinary Lady." She yawned. "Sorry," she apologised. "Now tell me what did you do today? Tell me from the very beginning."

And so the hours passed, Jonathon giving her a report on what happened, while Alanna on the other hand, fought to keep awake. "So then after the competition, Delia says – " he was interrupted by a new weight on his shoulder. Searching, he found the cause. Alanna had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She looked so comfortable, peaceful, serene like a lake that he decided to let her sleep. An hour went by, when suddenly Alanna stirred.

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing what she had done. She stood up immediately. "Oh my! Sorry Jonath – I mean Your Maje – I didn't mean to – sorry, Your Highness – " Jonathon's hand covered her mouth. 

He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about it. I sometimes fall asleep as well."

"How long have we been here? No, to be more precise, how long have I slept?"

"Just a little over an hour. Here, I'll take you home." He offered.

"No, don't do that. I mean, I don't want to ruin your evening! You stay here, I'll be fine!" She yawned. "Really! I'll just go tell – " she stumbled back.

Jon caught her. "No, whether you like it or not, I'm going with you." Alanna continued to protest, until Jonathon whispered in her ear, "you wouldn't refuse a royal order would you?"

She grinned sleepily at him. "Guess I have no way out. I'll just go tell Thom. That okay?"

"Sure, I'll wait for you by the door."

Ten minutes later, both of them were outside. Alanna took one took at the path and let out a sleepy groan (a/n: I dunno how in the heck that's possible). 

"What's wrong?"

"I'm going to have sore feet, walking up that path! I wouldn't complain if I wasn't feeling so tired tonight." 

"Don't worry, you can ride with me on Darkness (a/n: sorry, forgot what jon's horse's name is)" Jonathon led out a horse, it's coat blended in with the night, it's eyes only visible. Since Alanna was too tired to argue, she let him pull her up. 

And since she was too tired to notice, she fell asleep against him without knowing. Jonathon just smiled and kicked his horse into a trot. Afraid that she might catch a cold, he wrapped her cloak around her, making sure that that she was comfortable and warm. Alanna's reaction was just to snuggle up to him more.

The moonlight seem to shine only on the couple as they made their way towards the Palace. A star twinkled above them.

****

A/N: Sorry to all those people who've been waiting for this chapter! I was intending to post it up sooner, but then, urm, the, err, Lazy God, used it's powers on me! (I know it's lame and don't say anything abt it) Thank you to all those people who reviewed and hope you like this one enough, to review it! Flames also welcome. May you all have a prosperous and a Happy New Year! 


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